Apparatus for slitting endless bands



Nov. l2, 1946. F. sLu'sHER Y 2,410,905

APPARATUS FOR SLITTING ENDLESS BANDS Filed July 30, 1945 5- Sheets-Sheet 1 NOV. 12, 1946. F SLUSHER v 2,410,905

- APPARATUS FOR SLITTING ENDLESS BANDS Filed July 30, 1945 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Nov. 12, 1946 APPARATUS FR SLITTING ENDLESS BANDS Frank Slusher, Akron, Ohio, assignor to The B.VF.

Goodrich Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application July 30, 1945, Serial No. 607,801

4 Claims.

This invention relates to apparatus for laterally slitting endless bands of ilexible material and is especially useful in the manufacture of transmission belts or the like.

In the manufacture of endless transmission belts of considerable thickness, and especially belts of trapezoidal cross-section commonly known as V-belts, it has been found that greater exibility and longer life of the belt with a reduction of internal friction is provided by slitting the belts laterally at regular intervals across the inner face of the belt, the slits extending through the compression zone of the belt and terminating short of the tension Zone thereof which contains the reinforcing material. The provision of such lateral slits has heretofore been accomplished with difculty and the present invention provides apparatus for automatically and simultaneously slitting a, multiplicity of belts with a minimum amount of attention of the operator.

Objects of the invention are to provide poweroperated and controlled cutting of the slits in a belt; to provide uniform spacing of the slits; to provide simultaneous slitting of a multiplicity of .belts in a single operation; to provide adjustability of the apparatus for belts of different lengths; to provide adjustability of depth of cut, and to provide efciency of operation and uniformity of product.

These and other objects will appear from the following description and the accompanying drawings, which illustrate apparatus constructed in accordance with and embodying the invention.

Of the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the apparatus, parts being broken away and parts shown in section to more clearly show the mechanism;

Fig. 2 is a detailed cross-section taken on line 2--2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a detailed cross-section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a detailed sectional view showing a portion of the belt-supporting drum with belts supported thereon and showing a portion of the cutter in relation to the drum and belts when performing the slitting operation, other parts being broken away;

Fig. 5 is afront levation of the apparatus, parts being broken away;

Fig. 6 is a rear elevation of part of the apparatus, parts being broken away and parts shown in section;

Fig. 7 is a detailed View of the ram and its driving mechanism, parts being broken away;

Fig. 8 is a sectionalview taken on line 8-8 of Fig. 7, parts being broken away; and

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of a portion of a belt having the lateral slits cut therein.

Referring to the drawings which show one embodiment of the invention, a column I0 is supported by a floor plate I I and supports a bracket I2 having a collar portion I3 which surrounds the column and is secured thereto. A frame I4 is also xed to column I0 at the upper end thereof and is formed with a horizontal trough-like guideway I5 in which a ram I 6 is slidably mounted forl horizontal endwise reciprocating movement. Slidably mounted upon the column I between the bracket I2 and the frame member I4 is a carriage having a collar portion I'I surrounding the column and a horizontal arm portion I8 having bearings for rotatably supporting a horizontal shaft I9. Fixed to the shaft I9 is a cylindrical drum 2l! adapted to support upon its face a multiplicity of endless bands or belts 25.

For tensioning the belts about the upper face of the drum 2B a tubular column 26 is xed at vits upper end to the arm I8 and has its lower end slidably mounted in a collar 2l formed on the floor plate II, the column 26 being parallel to the column I0. Slidably mounted on the column 26 is a collar 28 which supports a cradle frame 29 having a series of parallel idler rolls 30 for engaging the lower bight of the belts 25. An elevating screw 35 is journalled in suitable bearings within the column 23 concentric with its axis. A vertical slot 36 is provided in the wall of the column 26 and a threaded nut 31 engages the screw 35 within the column and extends through the slot where it is secured to the collar 28 by screws 38, A worm gear 39 is xed to the upper end of the screw 35 and meshes with a worm 40 fixed to a shaft 4I journalled horizontally in the column 2S near its upper end. A hand wheel 42 is fixed to the shaft 4I. The arrangement is such that vby rotating the hand wheel 42, the nut 31, and with it the collar 28, cradle frame 29, and idler rolls 3D, may be elevated to remove tension yon the belts or lowered to tension the belts about `the drum 20 and the cradle rolls. The face of the drum 20 is preferably knurled or otherwise roughened to prevent lateral displacement of the tensioned belts.

For slitting the belts, the ram I6, heretofore mentioned, is provided with a bracket 5B fixed to its forward emremity which pivotally supports, as at 5I, an electric motor 52. A rotary cutter-,53

.tionally engages a is fixed to the shaft 54 of the motor for rotation thereby, the arrangement being such that upon endwise movement of the ram, the cutter is moved axially of the drum 20 across the belts tensioned thereon.

For reciprocating the ram I6, an electric motor 55 is fixed to frame member I4 and drives a horizontal shaft 56 throughV a speedv reducer 51. A sprocket 58 on the shaft 5S drives a chain 59 which in turn drives a. sprocket 60 fixed to a jack shaft 6| journalled in the frame member I4. A sprocket B2, also fixed to shaft 6I, drives a chain 63 which drives the sprocket B4 on a horizontal shaft 65 above the ram I6, the shaft 65 being journalled in frame member I4. A shaft 66 parallel to shaft 65 is journalled in bearings 61 adjustably secured to the frame member I4. Shaft 66 carries a sprocket 68 fixed thereto, and a similar sprocket 09 is fixed to the shaft 65. Chain engages sprockets 68 and 69. A driving member '|I is secured to the ram I 6 and is formed with a vertical slot l'Ia at one side of the chain 'I0 and slotted ears l2, I3 facing each other and open downwardly and upwardly respectively adjacent the other side of chain 10. Driving pins 14, are fixed to opposite sides of the chain 'l0 in position to engage respectively the slot lla and the slotted ears. The arrangement is such that as the chain 'i0 travels in a clockwise direction as seen in Figs. 1 and '7, the pin 'I4 remains at all times in the vertical slot 'lla and pin 15, in passing about the sprocket |58, engages the notch in the ear |3, and thereafter propels the ram to the left, as seen in Figs. l and '7, until the link carrying the pin passes about the sprocket 69, at which point the pin I5 releases the ear i3, and

-upon further travel of the chain, the pin 'I4 engages the slot in the ear l2, driving the ram the reverse direction until the pins 'I4 and 'I5 pass about the sprocket 68, at which time it releases the ear 'I2 and engages the ear I3 as before, thereby providing a reciprocating movement to the ram I6 and through it to the rotating cutter.

For advancing the drum step-by-step between successive cuts, a cam shaft is horizontally journalled in the bracket I2 and has a worin gear 8| and a crank 82 fixed thereto. A shaft 83 arranged horizontally and at right angles to shaft 00 and journalled in the bracket I2 has a worm gear 84 fixed thereto for engagement with the worm 8| arid has a sprocket 05 also fixed thereto which is driven by chain 06 from the sprocket 91 fixed to shaft 5| previously mentioned. A ratchet wheel 08 is fixed to shaft I9 to which the drum 20 is secured. The bell crank 89 is pivotally mounted on the shaft |9 and a pawl 89a is pivotally mounted on one arm thereof for engage- `ment with the ratchet wheel, while the other arm thereof is pivotally connected to a connecting rod 00, the lower end of which is pivotally connected to the crank 82. The crank 82 is of the adjustable throw type and by adjustment of its throw, the amount of feed of the ratchet wheel and thereby the drum 20 may be regulated to evenly space the slits in the belts. A brake band 9| fricbrake drum 92, fixed to shaft I9, and prevents overrunning of the ratchet wheel due to inertia, while a gravity-actuated pawl 93,

ratchet wheel from running in a reverse direction.

For lifting the cutter on the return stroke of the ram from contact with the belts, a cam |00 is secured to shaft B0. A bell crank I0| is lpivotally mounted as'at |02 on bracket I2 and one Aengaging the ratchet wheel 88, prevents the arm thereof carries a cam roller |03 which engages a groove in the cam while the other arm thereof is pivotally secured, as at |04 to a block |05, the block |05 having an aperture through which a rod |06 passes. The upper end of the rod |06 is pivotally connected as at |01 to a lever |08 pivoted at |09 on the frame member |4, the other end of the lever |08 being pivotally secured to the motor 52'by a link |I0. A stop collar I|I is secured to the rod |06 and is separated from the block |05 by a compression coil spring |I2. Adjusting nuts I|3 are secured to the lower end of the rod |06 and engage the lower side of the block |05. The cam slot of the cam |00 is of such shape and so arranged with relation to the crank 92 that during the advancing rotation of drum 20 by the link 82 and during the reverse movement of the ram I6 the cutter 53 is raised from contact with the belts and is lowered into cutting position before the ram makes its forward movement.

For adjusting the depth of the cut, the carriage is slidably mounted on the column I0 above the bracket I2 and is supported from the bracket I2 by an adjusting screw |20 threaded through an ear |2| of the collar I3 and impinging upon an ear |22 of the carriage I The operation of the apparatus is as follows:

The hand wheel 42 is operated to raise the cradle frame 29, and the endless belts 25, which are to be slit on their inner faces, are reversed upon themselves to present their inner or narrow faces outwardly and are slipped over the drum 20 and the cradle rollers 30. After arranging the belts in spaced relation, as shown, the hand wheel 42 is operated in the opposite direction to lower the cradle frame 29 and tension the belts about the drum 20. The motor '52 is then energized to rotate the circular cutter and a lubricant supply |25 is provided to feed lubricant such as water to the cutter. The motor 55 is then energized and this causes reciprocation of the ram I6 and also raising and lowering of the cutter between cutting strokes. When successive cuts have been made at regular intervals throughout the periphery of the belts, the machine is stopped by deenergizing the motors 52 and 55. This may be accomplished by a counter |26 adapted to operate a stop switch in the motor circuit after a predetermined number of cuts. The tension on the belts is then released and the belts are removed from the machine Variations may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as it is defined by the following claims.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for cutting lateral slits in an endless flexible band, said apparatus comprising a rotatable supporting drum, means for tensioning a band about a surface of said drum, means for rotating said drum to advance the band step by step, reciprocating means movable across the face of said drum between movements of the drum for cutting slits in the band, said reciproeating means including a cutter engageable with said band during movement in one direction, and means for lifting said cutter to clear the band during movement in the opposite direction.

2. Apparatus for cutting lateral slits in an endless exible band, said apparatus comprising a rotatable supporting drum;v means for tensioning a band about a surfaceof said drum, means for rotating said drum to advance the band. step by step, reciprocating means movable across the face of said drum between movements of the drum for cutting slits in the band, said reciprocating means including a rotary cutter engageable With said band during movement in one direction, and means for lifting said cutter to clear the band during movement in the opposite direction.

3. Apparatus for simultaneously cutting lateral slits in a plurality of endless belts, said apparatus comprising a drum structure adapted to support a group of the belts in side-by-side relation along the same, means for tensioning the belts about said drum structure, means for rotating said drum structure step-by-step to advance the belts, a cutter moveable in a path across the group of belts in cutting relation therewith, means for advancing said cutter in said path, and means for raising said cutter out of contact with the belts and retracting the same.

4. Apparatus for simultaneously cutting lateral slits in a plurality of endless belts, said apparatus comprising a drum structure adaptedto support the belts in side-by-side relation along the same, means for tensioning the belts about said drum structure, means for rotating said drum structure step-by-step to advance the belts, a cutter moveable in a pathacross the group of belts in cutting relation therewith, means for advancing said cutter in said path, and means for adjusting the relation of said cutter to said drum structure to regulate the depth of cut.

FRANK SLUSHER. 

